Thursday 10th February 2011

Not much to report in such awful conditions today from East Malling today.  Lots of Fieldfares and Redwings (they're back!) feeding on the ground in the Genebank on the Research Station.  Best sighting of the day, and totally unexpected was a Peregrine SW over North Street as I walked my lad back from school at 15:30.  This is the first for me on the Barming part of my patch, not sure where it's come from (Gallagher's Quarry?) but represents no 55 for the Barming Heath tetrad.

On the way back from picking my youngest up from Nursery I cut through Barming Woods along North Pole Rd and picked out at least five Toads stirred into action by today's wet weather.  Taking the photo of the Toad reminded me of the shot I took of a Pollack on Hythe beach on Sunday....not too dissimilar in appearance eh!

Monday 1st June

A Peregrine was mobbed by seagulls, that included at least one adult Mediterranean Gull, over the eastern end of the East Malling Research Station site at 17:00 today. It stooped over the area of Hermitage Lane Quarry to avoid the attack. Haymaking was much in progress near Kiln Barn Farm, Ditton and attracted 5x Lesser Black-backed Gulls. It was also reassuring to see a pair of House Martins nest building on Kiln Barn Cottages, Ditton (but none on the research station site for the first time oin 12 years!) and a couple of Swallows flight up South Street, Barming this evening.